Internet Explorer 9 could bring IE back from the dead

Posted September 17, 2010 - 13:39
by
Mark Raby

Internet Explorer remains the dominant Web browser because it comes as the default choice for every PC, but those who actually choose what browser they want rarely go for IE. Microsoft's latest offering may change that mindset.

Internet Explorer 9 revitalizes the IE interface like no other recent launch before, to something that makes it look like a brand new browser. It has a slimmer, sleeker look and feel that provides even more page real estate than any other competing product.

Microsoft has shown its ability to bring a fallen platform out of the grave. A couple years ago, its search engine was literally dead. No one used it anymore. But then it launched Bing and it has grown more than any other search platform over the last several months, by far.

Like search engines, it is very difficult to grow . Users choose a browser and stick to it. There aren't many who choose a different browser on Tuesday than they chose on Monday. And given how big of a shift it is to go to a new browser, it's even more difficult to get a user to go back to one they used before.

But Microsoft did it with Bing, and maybe they'll do it again with IE9. There's no smoking gun here, but obviously the software giant knows it cannot just rest on its laurels anymore.

With HTML5 support, Microsoft knows what's hot. With a brand new graphics-rendering tech spec, it will be able to play multimedia content in a very seamless, powerful way.

Every browser has its faults. The game is trying to make as few faults as possible. IE9 will be the most up-to-date browser when it launches hopefully sometime this year or early 2011, so it stands a chance at getting user attention back to the Microsoft platform.